Protected by Nightfall
by xEidoChan
Summary: After moving from a small town to a big city, Adriane has to start all over at Revington High. However, her life is put in danger when she discovers a well guarded secret, and now, her life is left in the wings of one of them.
1. Chapter 1

_**Hi everyone~! I'm here again and this time with an original piece of work! That's right! **_**Protected by Nightfall_ is an original piece by me! Now I can't take credit for one of the characters. He belongs to a great friend of mine. However, everything/everyone else does belong to me! So sit back, relax with some soda and popcorn, and read away~!_**

* * *

I felt all forty-two eyes_including the teacher's eyes_on me. Every eye took in every detail of me. Every face held a look of annoyance. Every mind judged. I could feel myself grow shaky as I gulped quietly. Oh, God, why? I wasn't there for five minutes, and I already felt like I was going to throw up. My eyes glanced around the room. No one said a word. A pin could be dropped and heard in this brutal silence. I hated this. I just had to be late. I blame my alarm. It went off thirty minutes later than normal, and now here I was, awkwardly standing in the doorway of my first hour Algebra class.

"You must be the new student, am I right?" The teacher looked over the roster, scanning for my name. He had thinning, grey hairs everywhere but the top of his head, which partially shined in the morning light. One could guess he might be on the edge of retirement. "Miss...Adriane Rivers, correct?"

I gave a slight nod, my grip on my books tightening, and my knuckles turning white. "Y-Yes, sir." Now everyone knew my name. Great! Let the whole class know the name of the most awkward girl around!

"I think you're in the wrong room."

The voice came from my right. I turned to look over at a young man with white hair_Wait, white hair? I had to do a double take. He definitely had white hair. It was spiky and somewhat flared out, some of it sweeping towards his left eye. He sat in the furthest desk back into the room in the middle of the row. He was slouched forward, his hand supporting his head as his elbow propped him up. Now, I'm not totally judgmental, so I was trying to be rational. He was probably was one of those immature, annoyingly funny, misunderstood guys, or he could really be a trouble maker.

"'How to Handle Being a Misfit 101' is down the hall," he said with sly smile.

Well, he certainly didn't seem like option one.

"Zeo!" the teacher exclaimed. "Honestly, that is no way to treat a new student!"

"Dude, good one!" A guy to Zeo's left high-fived him as they laughed. He had a blend of orange, red, and yellow in his hair, almost making it appear as if it was on fire. He was slouched back into the seat he sat at, and Zeo copied the postion as he high-fived his friend. Geez. I just got here, and I'm already insulted. What a wonderful way to start of the day.

"What'cha think, Nightfall?" Zeo whispered as he leaned over and gently nudged the boy to his right. "That was funny right?"

The black haired boy, Nightfall, didn't say a word. He just seemed annoyed. I noticed unlike the other two guys, he actually had a natural hair color. It was messy, and some of it hung over his right eye, completely covering it. His sleeve covered arms were crossed over his chest as he leaned back into the chair. The hood of his hoodie rested on the middle of his head, as if he was trying to be sneaky about wearing it in school. I had to admit, it gave him the "strong and silent" type of look. Since he was looking away, I felt a sense of relief. That was one less pair of eyes on me.

"Oh c'mon, Nightfall." The flame haired boy leaned over his desk to look past Zeo and over at Nightfall. "That was funny. Admit it."

"Would you two just please shut up," Nightfall mumbled softly. His visible eye closed, as if he felt like he was going to snap.

"Someone got bit by the grumpy bug today," Zeo murmured.

The teacher finally stepped in to stop them. "Zeo, Blaze, go to the principal's office. Now."

The flame haired kid, Blaze_his named suited him, actually_looked surprised. "What?! Why me?! Mr. Anderson, I didn't_!"

"Don't give me the 'I didn't do anything!' protest, young man. You and Zeo march down to Mr. Wilson's office right now." Mr. Anderson began scribbling away at a sticky note, and as quickly as he wrote it, he stopped, and held it out into the air. "You two take this on your way out." Then Zeo stood with a sigh and Blaze with a groan. With their books in their hands, they trudged over Mr. Anderson. Zeo lazily snatched the note from his hand, and I quickly stepped out of the door way so they could exit. They gave me dirty looks as they left, and I couldn't help but look away from them, trying to avoid the looks of anger. Mr. Anderson sighed quietly as he said, "I'm so sorry for that. Those two have never done that before, especially to a new student." He straightened up and cleared his throat before continuing. "Anyway, I am Mr. Anderson." He turned to the class and said, "Class, this is Adriane Rivers. Miss Rivers, where did you move from?"

Now the spotlight was on me. All the eyes_excluding Nightfall's eyes_returned to me, and I held my books close to me as I answered, "I-I came from a small town in Indiana. I-It wasn't too big. The population was about...three thousand I believe." I was now on Revington soil. It was a huge city compared to my hometown, Tranquility. Yeah, it's a weird name, but when explorers came by and started a village in the area, they couldn't help but notice how small and peaceful it appeared. There were no crimes or anything, so the early villagers named it Tranquility.

"Ah, so this must be a big change for you. Well, welcome to Revington High. I hope you make yourself at home here." As he spoke, he pulled out a piece of paper from what appeared to be his grade book and inspected it. "Okay, now I want everyone to stand up and move to the back of the room. I think it seems appropriate that we have a new seating chart." He began erasing the names that rested in the little boxes on the paper as the students stood with their things and moved to the back of the room. I managed to shuffle over to the awaiting crowd, and I stood in the front. I heard the students behind me talking, and one girl's voice stood out.

"How long do you think she'll last?" she whispered, but it was still loud enough for me to hear.

"Probably a week at least," her friend whispered back.

I found it hard to breathe. I had no idea what this school was like, but I knew after my first ten to fifteen minutes here that it would be a roller coaster.

As we waited, Mr. Anderson started walking by the desks, pointing to one every time he called out a name. "Carol, Matt, Adriane..."

At the sound of my name, my head shot up, and it felt like all the air had rushed back into my lungs. My desk rested in the middle of the room, and I quickly shuffled over to it, wanting to get away from the crowd behind me. Mr. Anderson continued to name off the students.

"Shadow, George, Frankie..."

Nightfall sat in the desk beside me, which was the one Mr. Anderson marked as Shadow's desk. He didn't look over at me or even mutter a word. I slowly built up the courage to ask, "I-I thought your name was_"

"It is," he said, interrupting me. That's when he finally looked over at me, and I was taken back by his striking green eyes. They were a bright, clover green color with dark rings around the pupil and edges of the iris. They felt oddly familiar, and I was so entranced by them, I almost didn't hear his voice. "My friends call me Nightfall. Everyone else calls me Shadow." He hesitated when he said "friends," as if the word was something he wasn't used to saying.

"S-So that means I should call you Shadow too, right?"

"What do you think?"

"R-Right. Sorry." Man. This guy was kind of cold. At least he didn't gang up on me like his two buddies did, that is, if they were even his buddies. He seemed annoyed by them more than anything. It was like he only tolerated them because he had to, like if two to three people who hated each other were forced into a group for a project and they only stood each other to get a good grade. At least, that's how I saw it. I turned away from him and looked down at my books.

I had a feeling it was going to be a long day.


	2. Chapter 2

"Mom! I'm home!" I stepped into our new house, and to my surprise, the whole front room was set up. The couch was against the wall to my left, the TV sat on the wall across from it, and the lamp was set up right next to the couch. Picture frames full of family photos and other events hung around the walls. It already felt like home.

"Oh, Adriane! I'm so glad you're back already!" Mom ran over to me and grabbed my hand. "Come with me! I have something to show you that you're really going to like!" Oh boy. Mom was on her excitement kick again. With my hand in hers, she quickly led me into the hall and up the stairs. Five doors welcomed us at the top. There were two on the left, two on the right, and one right down the hall. Mom led me to the one down the hall, and she looked at me with an excited grin. "Are you ready?"

"Uh, s-sure!" I had a feeling I already knew what she was going to show me, but I didn't want to ruin this moment for her. Mom opened the door, and I found myself in the most gorgeous room I had ever seen. The walls were painted the most beautiful shade of blue. It was like a sky blue, but a few shades lighter. It was almost an icy blue. Black then laced around the walls, almost like vines curling and twirling around. My bed rested in front of me, the blankets complimenting the icy blue with their intense purple color. A nightstand rested beside my bed, and a lamp sat on top of it, the lampshade matching my blanket's color. A white vanity and chair sat beside the large window, which was laced with thin black curtains. My oak wood dresser was on the opposite wall of the vanity, and the top was decorated with small photos and keepsakes from various vacations. I was in total awe. Despite the lingering smell of paint, my room was more than I could have ever imagined.

"Do you like it, sweetie?" Mom asked. "Your dad put in so much time to get the paint just right and set everything else up. I managed to find that lovely blanket that I thought would be a perfect touch to the room, and_"

I couldn't contain my excitement any longer as I exclaimed, "Mom, its great!" I looked over at her with a bright smile. "I couldn't have asked for a better room! The color, the pattern, the...everything! It's all so wonderful!" I dropped my backpack and tightly hugged her. "Thank you guys so much!"

"Your dad is going to be so happy to hear that!" She hugged me back, and it was a tight one. For a middle-aged mom, she always had the tightest hugs, handshakes, and everything else in between. I noticed all the hugs she gave me were like protective embraces. I found it odd, but I didn't think too much about it. I figured it was just a "mom thing."

"I'm just glad we're finally out of Gramma and Grandpa's hair," I said as I pulled away from the hug. "They did so much for us before we were able to finally settle in here."

"Oh, I know." Mom held a look of guilt. "I feel so bad. Your dad's parents did so much for us until this moment. I don't think we could ever repay them for-"

"Oh, now Cathy, you know you don't have to repay us for anything," an older man's voice said from the hall. "You know we're always glad to help you guys out.

I knew that voice from anywhere. I excitedly turned around and noticed Grandpa standing in the hall. With a smile, I ran over to him and gave him a great big hug. "Grandpa!"

He chuckled lightly and hugged me in return. "Geez, kiddo. You act like you haven't seen me in years."

"I know, I know," I said with a giggle, "but is it a crime to be excited to see my grandpa?" I couldn't put my finger on it, but I always felt this strong bond between my Grandpa and I. It was like I knew how he felt, knew if he was in pain or something. Basically, it was like I knew his emotions, and just seeing him always brought this joy. It might seem weird but hey, I'm not complaining.

"No, it's not," he answered with a smile before looking up at Mom, "and Cathy, you don't have to repay us in anyway. We're glad to help you guys out, and no matter what you do, we won't accept anything you try to give us." Mom looked defeated. If she had to repay somebody, she definitely repaid them, even if they didn't ask to be repaid, but Gramma and Grandpa were very serious about it. No matter what Mom did, they didn't accept anything she had to offer: money, gifts, anything. They wouldn't accept it. Sometimes she tries to find tricks to it, but it's like they see right through her, and tell her to return it or keep it for herself. They were very set about it.

"Anyway," Grandpa continued, "how is everything? Do you and Aaron need to get anymore things up? Y'know I can-"

"Oh no. You and Suzanne have done quite enough for us," Mom answered. "In fact, we're all settled in! The living room is all unpacked, as well as the dining room, kitchen, bathroom... Basically, we're all settled in! We really are grateful for everything you have done up to now. If there's anything we can-" Grandpa cut her off by simply raising a brow, and Mom realized what she was about to say and instead chuckled nervously. "S-Sorry."

"Okay, now that that's all over..." I turned to Grandpa and gently bounced on the tips of my feet in place. "You gotta see my room! It looks so amazing!" I led him to my room, and he let out a low whistle.

"Wow. Now this is a room," he commented.

"It looks incredible, doesn't it?" I beamed. "Dad did such an amazing job on it! I know it still smells like paint, but I'm sure that'll go away by later tonight. Man, I never thought I'd say this, but I can't wait to sleep tonight!" I found myself blabbing away about my room, and I quickly stopped myself before I bored my mom and grandpa to death. "S-Sorry about that."

"Don't worry about it, honey." Mom put a gentle hand on my shoulder. "You're excited about the new place. I understand. Now, your stuff is all in your closet." Mom motioned to a snowy white door. It was open and revealed many different boxes resting at the bottom. "Why don't you go ahead and unpack all your things and put them where you want them to go, and I'll show Grandpa around the rest of the house? Does that sound good?"

"Sounds like a plan, Stan!" I smiled brightly as I rushed over to the closet door and began opening one of the many boxes that rested on the floor. I couldn't wait to finally get unpacked.

* * *

Mom, Dad, and I sat at the dining room table, plates of steak and mashed potatoes resting in front of us. We were finally settled in and having our first family meal in the new house. The whole reason we moved here was because Dad got transferred over here. See, Dad is a patrol officer, and here in Revington, they've had a lack of patrol officers, which makes sense to me. I mean, Revington is a big city. Of course they'd need more officers in the area, so we had to pack up our things and move in with Gramma and Grandpa in the city until we could find our own house. It wasn't too far into the city, so we still had a slight "small town" feel to it, and now, we were finally settled in, and we were all extremely happy.

"I start my first day tomorrow," Dad said as he took a bite of his mashed potatoes. "This shouldn't be too different from Tranquility's forces. Just driving around, keeping an eye on the roads, busting speeders, robbers making a heist. Like I said, not too different."

I looked over at him with a raised brow. "Um, Dad? Tranquility never had bank robbers, or even speeders. Why do you think the town is called 'Tranquility'?"

Dad knew I had him, and he put his fork down before he could get a bite of steak in. "Yeah...Well...I've had the training. I'm completely prepared for any situation in Revington."

Mom chuckled softly as she cut her stake into small pieces. "You and your determination. Just be careful tomorrow, okay? I don't want you coming back with scratches and bruises or any other injuries on the first day."

"That's just part of being an officer," Dad proudly said. He then turned over to me then asked, "Speaking of first days, how was your first day of school, Adriane?"

I froze at the mention of school. I was so close to getting away without talking about it, but I knew it was coming sooner or later. "W-Well...My first hour, which was Algebra, was...alright. A couple of kids got sent to the office a few minutes after I got there."

"Really?" Dad asked as he quirked a brow. "What did they do?"

I picked at my mashed potatoes with a small, "Mmph..." I didn't want to tell them I was getting picked on during the first day of school, but I knew they would find out sooner or later, so I simply said, "Two guys were picking on me. One called me a misfit, and the other joined in and said 'Dude that was so funny!'" I lowered my voice as I impersonated Blaze. Then I sighed as I lazily took a bite of my mashed potatoes. "Best first day ever," I mumbled.

Mom and Dad looked at each other, and Mom turned to me and said, "Honey, don't let those two get to you. It was just one outburst. I'm sure they won't do it anymore, and if they do, you come and tell us. We'll talk to the school about it."

Sure. Like that'll help.

"Alright, Mom," I said, my voice slightly lower than usual. "I will." I didn't want them to see me so upset already. I knew they would want me to be happy, so I was going to try my best, even if it meant faking a smile every day. I took a final bite of my steak before standing and excusing myself from the table. "I'm not very hungry." I took my plate and threw the extra bits of steak and mashed potatoes in the trash before putting the plate in the sink. I then made my way up to my newly decorated room, flopping on my bed back first.

_Mom was right. This was just one bad day. I shouldn't let this get to me._

I laid in bed for a few moments before sitting up with a sigh. I had to get some of these thoughts out, so I leaned towards my nightstand and opened the top drawer. A textbook-sized sketch book rested inside with some sketching pencils on the side. I took everything out and sat on my bed, my legs crossed as I rested my sketch book on top of them. Sketching was a great way for me to get my emotions out, so I started flipping through the pages filled with fantasy creatures to find a blank page, but as I was flipping through, I stopped at a colored image I had drawn many, many months ago. The pictured showed a small, black as night dragon. The size of it in the picture made it appear as if it was the baby of its kind, or at least a young one. It was on all fours with its small wings spread out, as if it was about to take flight. I remembered everything about this dragon in great detail. From the snout to the tip of its tail, I remembered it. After all, I had encountered this creature when I was younger. At least I thought I did. The whole moment felt like a dream, and I began recalling the moment in my head.

* * *

_It was three years ago when I saw it. I was thirteen at the time, and Mom and Dad decided to take me on a camping trip on the outskirts of Tranquility. The outskirts were covered in gorgeous oak trees, and we had found the perfect spot to set up camp. It was just big enough to hold our tents and fire pit, so we began setting everything up. Dad set the tents up, and Mom and I gathered firewood and made the fire pit. It was pretty easy, and we got done in no time. We sang campfire songs, roasted marshmallows, you know, the usual campfire clichés._

_Before we knew it, night came around, and I was sleeping in my tent. Well, I was trying to. I kept tossing and turning in my sleeping bag. I figured it was because the ground was too hard. After all, I wasn't used to sleeping on the ground. It was lumpy and uncomfortable, and I really hated it, but that wasn't the only thing keeping me awake. Shadows would occasionally sweep by my tent, and every horror movie I've ever seen would jump up in my mind and make me shake with fear. I kept thinking there was some sort of serial killer or monster out there. Sometimes the shadows would stop right in front of my tent, and I could see the outline of whatever was out there. It was hard to make out, but from what I saw, the thing was a decent size and had wings, but not once did I hear them flapping. I just heard the sounds of twigs snapping and quiet sniffing. I began thinking it was a bear, but then again, what bear would have wings. I knew it was stupid of me, but I slowly unzipped my tent, trying to keep the zipping noise very quiet, and peered outside. That's when I saw a large, black creature sniffing away at the fire pit. It simply stood there, looking at the pit with such curiosity._

What...is that?_I thought to myself_. Am I dreaming? Did I eventually fall asleep and just started having this dream?

_I leaned closer out of my tent, but as I did, my hand slipped from under me, and I fell forward with a gasp. The creature's head shot up as I scrambled to sit myself up, and that's when our eyes met. My moss green eyes met with the creature's intense clover green eyes. It had rectangular pupils, but when it stepped closer to me in the moonlight, the pupils closed lightly, as if beginning to slit up. Then it stopped, and we just stared into each other's eyes, as if we were having a staring contest. For a moment, I felt weightless, as if I was being carried by balloons or as if I was filled with helium, and despite feeling as if I couldn't breathe, I felt warm and...almost happy. I couldn't really explain what I felt, but I knew it felt wonderful. However, everything after that was just a hazy memory. The second I closed my eyes, everything was dark for a few moments. When I opened my eyes, it was like I was waking up from sleeping. I was lying on my back, facing the top of my tent._

* * *

The memory kept playing over and over in my mind. It always did whenever I saw the picture, but this time, I realized something. I looked closer at the drawing. The dragon had intense clover green eyes with dark rings around the pupil. I immediately thought of Shadow. His eyes had the same intense clover green eyes with the same dark rings, and now that I had the thought in mind, I realized the color of the dragon's scales were the same black as Shadow's hair, but this had to be some weird coincidence. There was no way that these two different species were the same being, right?

"There's just no way," I mumbled to myself. "There's just no way..."

I knew I would have to confront him about this.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Gonna slide a little author's note here: There will be a mention of a How to Train Your Dragon dragon in this chapter and throughout the story. That dragon type belongs to the rightful owners of HTTYD. And with that aside, let's begin!**_

* * *

Confronting him actually took a good few days. I wanted wait because I didn't want to jump to any conclusions. I wanted answers, but I also didn't want to appear as some sort of weirdo to the whole school, but I knew today was the day to ask. I felt confident, and I was determined to get to school as soon as possible to find Shadow and finally get the answers I needed, but as I pulled my car up to the parking lot, a thought hit me. What if he thinks I'm sort of freak? I mean, imagine someone coming up to another person and asking, "Hey, are you a dragon?" or "Okay, so, I think you're a dragon." It sounds so stupid! No normal person would do that! But the need for answers just wouldn't leave me. For three years I've been thinking about it, and half of me believes it was a dream, but the other half believes it was real. After all, it felt so real, and I never met Shadow beforehand, so no one can tell me it was a recent dream. Besides, I could always ask him private. He doesn't seem the type to blab about things to others, but then again, looks can be deceiving. Zeo was a perfect example of that, but it was time to ask. I stepped out of my car, and entered the building. Students were scattered out around the school, some by lockers, some just standing in the middle of the hall, and some sitting on the front main stairs. Finding Shadow would be like finding a needle in a hay stack, but I told myself to look for a tall kid with black as night hair, and that turned out to be harder than I thought. Quite a few kids had black hair, and they were also quite tall. Okay, so it definitely was like finding a needle in a hay stack.

"I'm never gonna find him," I sighed to myself, and I never thought I would admit this, but I felt hopeful when I heard Zeo's voice towards the right of the hall. After watching Zeo, Shadow, and Blaze for the past few days, I knew the three were always together. Gathering my courage, I walked towards to where I heard Zeo's voice. Soon, Blaze began laughing out loud. I knew I was close. Soon, the two oddly colored haired guys came into view. Zeo was standing by an open locker (which I assumed was his) while leaning over and watching something on Blaze's phone. Shadow stood a good few feet away from them, as if he was annoyed by their obnoxious laughter. He was leaning against the locker, looking away from them with his arms crossed. He really did seem annoyed, but I wasn't concerned about that right now. On my mind was the question I've been meaning to ask him, so I took a deep breath and walked over to them. The sound of my footsteps alerted Zeo and Blaze, and they turned to me when I walked up to Shadow. "Shadow, can I talk to you for a moment?" I glanced over at his friends before looking back up at Shadow. "In private?"

"What do you want, misfit?" Zeo demanded with a glare. Ugh. I thought they were done calling me that. I guess not.

"I'm here to talk to Shadow," I simply answered as I turned to Zeo. "This has nothing to do with you or Blaze."

"Whatever you have to ask Nightfall, you can ask to us too," Blaze said as he slid his phone into his pocket.

"Look, I just-" Before I could say anything else, Shadow grabbed my arm and started leading me away from them.

"It'll be a minute," was all he as he led me away. He walked me down to an empty hall, releasing my arm before turning to me. "Okay. Talk. What do you want?"

Oh, wow. I didn't expect for this to turn out so well, but there was no use to back out now. I reached into my bag and pulled out my sketch book. I flipped over to the page with the small dragon I drew and showed it to him. "This is you isn't it?"

Shadow's visible eye widened slightly, but he quickly composed himself. "That's just a drawing. It doesn't mean anything."

"Three years ago," I started, "I went on a camping trip with my parents. Later that night, I saw this creature sniffing around the campsite." I flipped the book around and looked at the dragon's eyes before looking back up at Shadow and inspected his visible green eye. "The same intense green eyes, your hair color matching the scales...It was you!"

Shadow looked down at me before he began to quiet chuckle. It soon turned into a loud laugh, and I could feel my cheeks redden with embarrassment. I knew it was mistake to ask him. I'm such an idiot!

"Wow..." he sighed as he pretended to wipe a fake tear from his eye. "Now that was funny. I haven't laughed that hard in awhile." He gave me a light, unexpected pat on my shoulder. "Thanks for making my day." With that said, he started walking away, leaving me in a silent state, but after he was a few feet away, he turned back to me and said, "Before I go, that's a great drawing of a young Night Fury." As soon as he said that, the bell for home room rang, and the hall was immediately filled with a mass of students. Shadow was quickly lost in the crowd, and when what he said finally processed through my mind, I tried pushing my way through, yelling out to him.

"W-Wait! How did you know that?!"

* * *

Through out the day, I couldn't find Shadow. It was like he just disappeared after he told me what type of dragon I had drawn. He wasn't in Algebra, and I never once saw him in the halls. Knowing he wouldn't be much help, I decided to head down to the local library after school and get some books for some research. I had to find out more about this dragon-a Night Fury as Shadow called it. I wanted to know more about it, and if there was one, were there more? Were these "Night Furies" everywhere, or maybe there were different types? And if there was one or more types of dragons, were there a lot running around the city of Revington?

"Ugh. All these questions are giving me headaches," I mumbled to myself as I stepped through the large library doors. It was the first time I ever entered the building. I was greeted by two staircases. One of the cases led upstairs while the other one led downstairs. From where I stood, I could see the librarian's desk upstairs, so with a shift of my bag on my shoulder, I took the upstairs staircase and made my way towards the librarian's desk. "Um...Excuse me?"

The librarian had brown hair that was peppered with some grey strands pulled up in a bun behind her head, and she wore a name tag on the left side of her shirt, which said "Mary" in big bold letters. When she looked up at me, I noticed her irises were a light brown. She gave me a soft smile and asked, "Can I help you?"

"Uh, y-yeah." I gave a small nod. "I was wondering if you had any books about...about dragons?"

"Dragons?" she questioned. "Well let me check real quick." She stepped over to her computer and began typing away. "Is there a certain type of dragon you're looking for?"

"Night Furies," I answered, "or something similar to them."

"Hmm..." She started scrolling with the mouse, occasionally clicking on some things and pressing a few more keys. The printer nearby turned on, and a warm piece of paper slowly slid out from the top of the printer. Mary took the paper and handed it to me. "Here are the titles of some books that have anything to do with Night Furies or other dragons of similar type. They're just over there in the far back room-" She pointed towards her left, showing me where the room was. "-and once you enter there, go to the far left. That whole back area will have the books you're looking for."

"Thank you so much," I said, and before I walked off, I added, "It'll be okay if I could get a library card and check them out won't it?"

"Oh of course! Just go get those books that you need and come back here with them. I'll have a card ready for you to sign and scan when you're ready."

"Thank you," I said again, and I walked towards the back room, going to the far left as Mary had told me. Now I knew I shouldn't have been surprised, but I really was quite surprised to see a huge wall of books, and just by gently brushing my hand against the spine of the books, I knew they had to be pretty old since some dust lightly coated my fingertips. I gazed around the books and noticed they all had decimal numbers on the bottom of the spines. I looked at the list and saw that they had the same numbers.

"That'll make things easier," I said to myself as I looked back up to the books.

The numbers were pretty worn down on the spines, however, so I had to squint lightly to get a good view of them, though I managed to find the books without any other problem. I ended up carrying four large books back to the desk, and just as promised, a brand new, white library card was waiting for my signature right on the desk. I slowly sat the books down_causing a small puff of dust to fly out from the bottom_and began writing my name on my new card.

After that was done, Mary took the card as well as the books, and started scanning everything.

"No one had really checked these books out in a while," she said as she scanned the last book and began stamping the return dates on the little paper inside the middle of the first page. Just the color of the slip showed how old the book was. It was now a dull yellow color with darker discoloration around it. There were hardly any "return by" dates on it. "But I figured they would help you. Must be a big research paper, am I right? Or is it just for personal interest?"

I almost hadn't heard what she asked. My mind was too wrapped around everything that wasn't her talking. "Hmm? O-Oh uh...Personal interest. I'm sort of into lots of fantasy things." It wasn't a complete lie. My sketch book could back me up on it.

"Well, these books should definitely help you." She carefully slid the books into a large tote bag and handed the bag to me. "Here you go, dear. Have a nice day."

"You too." I smiled at her as I took the bag from her and walked out of the library.

* * *

I sat on my bed with the books scattered around me, each one flipped open to a different page. I had a notebook resting on my knees and had a pencil in my hand. I had been taking notes on everything I thought I needed to know for the past few hours. About three to four pages of my notebook had been filled with the different types of dragons, their abilities, and other small details. I managed to find a section about Night Furies in one of the books, but for some reason, there wasn't much on them. It was as if it was almost non-existent.

Non-existent...

"Ugh! I'm such an idiot!" I threw my notebook to the side and buried my face in my hands. "How could I have been so stupid?!" Of course there wasn't anything on them. They're dragons for God's sake! How can a dragon be real?! I began having an inward battle with myself.

I'm an idiot for believing that was real.

_But it _was_ real!_

No it wasn't. It was just some super realistic dream I had.

_Then how do you explain the dragon's eyes and Shadow's eyes? They're too similar to be a coincidence!_

Dreams are weird anyway. I can't use that as a clue.

_But doesn't it seem odd that his eyes are that green? Nobody's eyes are that green or intense._

Contacts. Anyone can change their eye color with colored contacts.

_But-_

I shut myself up by slamming all the books shut and sliding them back into the tote bag. I sighed quietly before curling my knees up to my chest and wrapping my arms around them. An unsettling feeling washed over me, and I couldn't help but feel completely stupid over everything. All that time I spent wondering, the embarrassment I put myself through earlier...it was all for nothing. I tightened my hold around my knees as a knocked gently rattled my door.

"Adriane? Is everything okay?"

"I'm fine, Dad," I called out. "I'm fine."

The door opened, and Dad stepped into my room. "Are ya sure? I heard some banging around up here."

It took me a moment before I thought of an excuse. "I saw a bug, a-and I threw my notebook at it."

Dad looked over at my tossed notebook then back to me. "Honey, I can tell you're upset." He quietly shut the door and walked over to my bed, sitting down on the edge close to me. "Talk to me. What's wrong?"

"It's nothing," I answered quickly.

Before I knew it, Dad made a quiet battle cry and got be in a headlock. "Ya better tell me or else the Fist of Truth will get ya!" He readied his hand in the air.

I couldn't help but laugh at his old attempt to get me to talk. "No! Never!" I playfully struggled to get out of his hold.

"Then the Fist of Truth will rub it outta ya!" Dad gave his battle cry again and started rubbing his fist against my head. "TellMeTellMeTellMe!"

I squealed and laughed as I struggled to get out of his hold. "Okay! Okay I'll tell you!"

Dad smiled as he released me. "Knew that would work."

I playfully rolled my eyes as I fixed my hair. I then got serious as my voice got a bit lower. "Dad...What if you tried to prove something was real, but everything around you told you otherwise?"

"Hmm..." Dad looked at the ground in thought before looking back at me. "Well...I always tell you to believe in what you want to believe in, and not to let others tell you otherwise. Is someone doubting your beliefs?"

I was silent for a moment, trying to figure out how to go about saying this. "Well...It's not exactly someone, but more or less just...everything else. I don't know if that makes sense but...Never mind. Forget I said anything."

Dad gave me his Okay, you lost me look, but he shook his head before saying, "Adriane, you shouldn't let anything get to you. You have what you believe in, and you should always stick to them no matter what, and-"

"But Dad it's something so stupid!" I blurted out. "It's so stupid that I even got laughed at by someone, and the research I did was totally pointless! And-!"

"Whoa whoa whoa. Calm down, Adriane. What is it that you're trying to prove?"

No! I can't tell him. He'll laugh too. I'll be a complete fool to everybody!

"...It's nothing, Dad...Never mind. Just forget I said anything."

Dad sighed as he lightly rubbed my back. "Okay, honey. I won't force you to talk if it's something you don't really want to talk about. Just perk up and smile okay?" He then gave my hair a light ruffle. "You gonna be okay?"

I couldn't help but chuckle from the ruffle to my hair. "Yeah, I think I will."

Dad smiled at me and gave my shoulder a light pat. "Good." He stood from my bed and about walked out, but I stopped him before he could.

"H-Hey, Dad? Would it be okay if I could drive around a little bit? Y'know, to clear my mind and all that?"

Dad's hand was on the doorknob, and I could hear him go, "Hmm..." as he thought of an answer. He turned back to me and said, "Sure. Just be back before dinner, okay?"

"Got it." I grabbed my keys from my nightstand, and was out the door and out of the house.


	4. Chapter 4

A drive was definitely what I needed. The wind rushing through my hair, the radio playing my favorite bands, they were all great factors to help calm me down. I was out on the country roads, passing by large amounts of trees. I never knew Revington had so many trees on the edge of their town. It was almost like being back at Tranquility. I sure did miss that place, but Dad has a better job here, so I'm not complaining-well, at least not a lot. Sure the dragon thing still bugged me, but I wasn't going to let anything else happen. Right now, I was going to calm myself down and clear my mind. I was at a stop sign and was about to make my way home when I looked over at the woodland area. The trees were a beautiful shade of dark green, and the bark of the wood varied from light to dark on some of the trees.

_Maybe...a little walk wouldn't hurt,_ I thought to myself. A nice walk always helped me too, especially if it was one in the woods. I just loved being around nature. I felt connected to it, and I always wanted to be around it as much as I could, so I turned the car into a small path into the woods and stepped out. I was immediately greeted with the sound of rustling trees and the smell of earth. The forest almost felt like a second home to me. I began my walk into the woods, and I could just feel the sense of ease wash around me.

"Now this is what I needed," I said into the air. "A nice walk around the woods. Who knew just being around nature would-" A loud, deep growl cut me off. It reverberated throughout the air, and caused the hairs on my neck to stand on ends. I was frozen where I stood, and I didn't even dare to breathe. I waited a moment and another growl echoed through the air, but this one was more like a roar than a growl. This one caused me to gasp and jump. It didn't sound anything like a bear's growl. It sounded much lower and more powerful. I just wanted to run out of the woods, but something compelled to see what was making the loud growls, so I shakily walked into the dense woods.

"I'll be okay," I whispered to myself. "I'll be okay." I slid my hand into the pocket of my hoodie and gripped my cell phone, knowing that if I had to, I could just call Mom or Dad if I needed help. I gripped it tighter when I heard another roar ripped through the air, and I could've sworn I felt the ground shake from this one. I thought about turning back, but as I approached a clearing, I saw three large figures-no, not figures. They were dragons. One was white, one was an orangish-red, and the other was and all too familiar black as night. The black dragon appeared wounded. It was laying on the ground, and I could hear it groan quietly. The white dragon stood over it, and a loud growl ripped through its throat.

_"You know that's forbidden!"_ I heard a familiar voice yell. _"Ryo will have your head for that!"_ The voice sounded almost like an echo, but no one was around that could be saying anything unless...it was the dragons...

_"I told you I couldn't control it!"_ another voice rang out. The black dragon's paw lashed out and struck the white dragon across its nose. The orangish dragon lowered itself and opened its mouth wide. A bright, yellow ball of energy quickly shot out and struck the black dragon. The black dragon was forced back from the blast and smacked into a tree. He was lying motionless on the ground, and I covered my mouth to stifle a gasp.

_I-Is...Is he okay...?_

_"Blaze! You didn't have to do that!"_ The white dragon turned to the orange and release a loud growl. _"I can protect myself! Besides, it's just Nightfall. He's not much of a threat..."_

_"Oh yeah, Zeo? Is that why you let him swipe at ya like that?!"_ The orange dragon snapped back.

Wait, Zeo and Blaze...? Were they really...dragons...? I knew the two seemed odd but...this was taking it to another level. I thought Shadow was the only dragon, but I guess I was wrong. It was almost hard to believe...

_"Oh just shut up already!"_ Zeo snapped as he glared down at Blaze. I hadn't really noticed until now, but Zeo was much larger than Blaze, and Shadow appeared to be larger than Blaze, but smaller than Zeo, and I began making the assumption that Zeo was like the alpha male of the three. He looked over at Shadow and grumbled quietly before starting to walk away. _"We'll leave him here. He'll find his way back, and then-"_ I was about to object to his plan when Zeo froze in place, his back to me. He lifted his head into the air and sniffed lightly. _"She's here..."_

_"Who?"_ Blaze asked as he turned to Zeo. He scanned the area, and soon, our eyes met. They were a brilliant golden yellow with a darker circle of yellow around the pupils. Blaze narrowed his eyes at the sight of me and let out a low growl. _"Oh. _Her_."_

"Wh...What did y-you do to Shadow...?" I dared to ask. Zeo turned to me, and glared over at me with deep purple eyes. They also had a darker circle around the pupils, and this led me to believe that all dragons had an odd eye color with dark rings.

_"He's fine,"_ Zeo grumbled. _"Why do you care, misfit?"_

"Stop calling me that!" I exclaimed as I reached my breaking point. "Why?! Why do you call me that?! How am I misfit?! Just because I'm new to the town?!"

We were all silent for a moment, then Blaze began to laugh a low, grumbly laugh, which soon grew louder. _"She doesn't know! Oh that's hilarious! She's like what? Sixteen? Seventeen? And she still doesn't know! Oh that's rich!"_

I looked back and forth between them, my patience being tested. "What? I don't know what?"

Now it was Zeo's turn to laugh, but it was more of an earthy chuckle. _"That _is_ pretty pathetic. How could you not know you're part dragon?"_

I was about to snap back at them, but what Zeo said had stopped me. There was no way what he said was the truth, was it? Me? A dragon? Er...part dragon? But it didn't make any sense! I would have known wouldn't I? And Mom and Dad would've have told me. They wouldn't keep it a secret from me...would they?

"I-I don't understand," I stammered. "H-How do you know if I don't?"

_"Scent,"_ Zeo simply answered. _"Every dragon has a special scent, but yours is mixed in with the scent of humans, so it was harder to pin down, but I was still able to detect it. That's why you're a 'misfit.' You're nothing like the others. Actaully...you're an abomination to the dragon world..."_

It was as if a knife had plunged into my heart and twisted all around. An abomination? I was an abomination...?

_"And abominations need to be taken care of..."_ Zeo growled lowly. His legs slowly bent down, making him look like he was about to pounce; then horror struck me. He was going to pounce at me. I quickly bolted away from the clearing, running as fast as my legs could work. I occasionally stumbled over twigs and roots, and I just prayed I could make it back to my car in time to drive away, but a flash of orange dropped in front of me. Blaze was crouched in front of me, his wings spread wide open, and he glared at me with a murderous intent. I tried sprinting in another direction, but I slipped over the mud and scrambled to get back up. I about finally got back up until a strong force pushed me into the earth. I looked up to see Blaze towering over me, his teeth baring at me. I was frozen in fear. My breathing was forced and ragged, my heart pounded against my chest. This was it, wasn't it? This was out it would end.

_"So long, misfit."_ He raised his clawed paw up into the air, and I looked away as I squeezed my eyes shut and raised my arms up as I braced myself for the hit...

_"NO!"_

A blast of hot, blazing energy shot through the air and knocked Blaze off of me, sending him flying into a tree. I snapped up and looked over to where the blast came from. Shadow was standing some yards away, panting and barely standing. His wings were spread out, yet they drooped to the ground, completely limp, and his pupils were slender slits. He looked as if he would kill the next thing that crossed him.

_"Blaze!"_ Zeo flew in like lightning by Blaze's unconscious side. _"Blaze!"_

_"He'll be fine,"_ Shadow's exhausted voice managed out as his pupils slowly thickened out. _"It's just Blaze."_

Zeo deeply growled at Shadow and took a step forward. Not even thinking, I bolted over to Shadow, standing in front of him like a shield with my arms wide open.

"Don't you even dare to try to hurt him again!" I exclaimed. "He's hurt enough! Do you think hurting him more is gonna do anything?!"

_"Do you think you're gonna stop me, mis-?"_

_"Stop calling a misfit!" _I screeched. Before I knew it, a ball of blazing fire shot from my mouth and fired over to Zeo, knocking him to the ground. I gasped and covered my mouth. My lips didn't even feel hot or anything. I just stared wide eyed at the fallen dragon.

_Did I just...?_

Zeo groaned softly, forcing himself to stand on shaky legs._ "H-How did you...? Th-There's no way..."_

_"You said it yourself, Zeo,"_ Shadow said, walking to my side. _"She's nothing like the others, and that doesn't make her an abomination. It makes her special."_ Did Shadow just...stick up for me? Never in a million years did I think he would stick up for me. He always seemed so distant and quiet. _"Ryo will understand. If I just explain everything to him, no one will get in trouble. Everything will get settled out. We don't have to fight about this anymore."_ Zeo glared at us before his legs gave out underneath him and his eyes slid shut. Fear flooded through me.

"D-Did I just kill him?! O-Oh nononono! I-I didn't mean to! I-I'm so sorry! I-"

"Adriane, it's fine," Shadow said, trying to reassure me. _"You just knocked him out. He'll be fine, as well as Blaze. They'll be up and at 'em soon, so we better get going."_ Shadow knelt down beside me. _"Hop on."_

"Wh-What?! B-But you're hurt! I-I can't let you-!"

_"Just get on!"_

I jumped lightly from Shadow's sudden yell, but I quickly complied, and I carefully sat my self on his back. I had never ridden a dragon before (I mean, who has?) so I wasn't too sure how to position myself or what to hold on to.

_"Just wrap your arms around me,"_ Shadow instructed. _"Can you manage that?"_

"Um..." I leaned down and attempted to wrap my arms around him, and surprisingly, I managed to get a good grip. "Y-Yeah. I got it."

_"Alright. I'm gonna take off okay? On the count of three so get ready. One..."_

I gently tightened my hold around him.

_"Two..."_

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes as I felt Shadow position himself for flight.

_"Three!"_

Shadow bolted into the air, and the wind rushed past me as I felt the trees pass us. He moved left, then right, then straight up. I no longer felt the trees around me, and I slowly opened my eyes. A mixutre of pale blue, yellow, and red surrounded me instead of trees. The sun was setting in the distance, and then it hit me.

I was high up in the sky on the back of a dragon.


	5. Chapter 5

It was a wonderful feeling. The trees down below, the sunset off to the distance, the feel of the wind around me as we flew...it all felt so amazing.

"Is this what it feels like to fly...?" I asked, slowly sitting up from holding onto Shadow.

_"Yep,"_ Shadow answered. _"Feels pretty amazing doesn't it?"_

"It does...It really does." I almost never wanted to stop flying, but since I'm apparently part dragon, maybe I could fly around on my own. But that's to find out later, right now, something else was on my mind. "Shadow...? What were they talking about back there? I know it was something big. They said this person-er, dragon I guess-named Ryo would 'have your head' because whatever you did was 'forbidden.'" I waited for him to answer, and when he didn't I continued. "What did they mean? You're not...going to be killed are you...?"

_"No,"_ he quickly answered. _"I'm not. I can work this out. Everything will be okay. Nobody is going to get killed."_

"But what exactly are they referring to?"

Shadow sighed quietly. _"Please realize what I'm about to say is the result of something I cannot control..."_ He took a deep breath and slowly said, _"I...I imprinted on you..."_

"I-Imprinted...?" I questioned. "What does that mean...?"

_"It means...that...we, uh...we're supposed to be together...It's like a soul mate thing..."_

"Soul mates?" I repeated. "But Shadow, I-"

_"I understand if you hate me for it,"_ he went on. _"It happened that first time I saw you...You were right. That was me, but I didn't want to say anything in case Zeo or Blaze heard. I knew they would try to tell Ryo, and he's like the head dragon of all dragons. If dragon laws are broken, they're reported to him, and whoever is responsible for the crime is hunted down and tried, and one of the laws is that a dragon can't imprint on a human. I don't understand why that's a law, but it is, and I didn't intend for it to happen, it just did, but you're not just a human you're also a dragon. You're a hybrid, and there's nothing against that, but-"_

"Sh-Shadow, calm down," I said, reassuringly. "It's fine. I don't hate you or anything. I'm just...I'm still trying to process all this. It's so much to take in..."

_"R-Right...Sorry..."_

"Don't be sorry. I said it's fine." I thought over everything he said, and a thought occurred to me. "But...if I'm a hybrid...that means my parents...one of them's a dragon!"

_"They haven't told you because they wanted to protect you,"_ Shadow continued. "_At least, that's my understanding of it. It could also be why you're able to understand the dragon language. After all, we've been talking the entire time, and I've never spoke with a human before. Anyway, my guess is that they were never going to tell you, but I think that's terrible mistake. Your powers are already showing through. They have to tell you how to control them or they're gonna get out of control. Take that fireball you shot earlier. That happened because of your anger. Imagine if you're just so happy you can't contain it. A tail and possibly some wings may just appear out of nowhere, and you could be in public when that happens. People will think you're a..."_ He started trailing off until his voice was completely silent.

"Shadow? A-Are you alright...?"

_"Y-Yeah...Sorry. I'm fine. I just...it's nothing. Anyway, we need to get you home and get this all sorted out. We have to go see Ryo and explain to him what's happened. I'm sure he'll be understanding...And if I feel like that plan might not work, I can always think of a different one."_

"A-Alright. I hope he's okay with this..." I had a bad feeling in my stomach. What if nothing went right? What if everything went horribly wrong? I leaned back against Shadow and wrapped my arms around him. "...Thanks, Shadow. For everything."

There was a pause. _"...Nightfall."_

"Hmm?"

_"Nightfall. Call me Nightfall."_

A small smile tugged at my lips, and I couldn't help but feel a sense of acceptance. "Thanks...Nightfall."

The journey home took some time, but Shadow-I mean, Nightfall-soon landed by my house. The sun had gone down a bit more, revealing more of the dark sky that started shrouding the town. The crickets had begun chirping, and as I carefully hopped off of Nightfall, I sighed quietly.

"I'm so dead," I groaned.

_"Why do you say that?"_ Nightfall asked.

"I was supposed to be home before dinner," I explained. "And I'm sure I'm here way passed dinner time."

As if on cue, Mom was now out the door. She was starting one of her motherly rants about being on time and the consequences of being out late, but at the sight of Nightfall, she stopped mid-sentence, and her faced paled a bit.

"A-Adri, honey...C-Come here, s-slowly though. J-J-Just back away from-"

"M-Mom it's fine. He won't hurt me or anything. See?" I stepped over to Nightfall and gently rubbed my hand over his head. Nightfall made a low purring noise as he nuzzled his head into my hand. "He's a good dragon. Speaking of which, I believe you two need to explain something to me, and I want the truth. No lies, to exaggeration, just the whole, honest-to-God truth. Can I have that? Because for the past few days, I've been in a constant state of confusion, and I would like some answers." I knew I got a bit snippy with her, but I was tired of the secrets, tired of the hidden lies. I wanted to know the truth.

"O-Okay," Mom said with a nod. "B-But he's got to be a human to enter the house." She quickly started walking off, and I was on her tail in an instant.

"It's you!" I exclaimed as we entered the house. "You're the dragon! I knew it had to be one of you two!"

"Adriane, please-"

"Why didn't you tell me?" I asked. "Why did you keep this a secret from me?"

"Adriane-"

"I've had my mind wrapped around this for years! Why didn't you tell me anything?! I've always thought I've been going insane because I've been so caught up in it! I-"

"I wanted to protect you!" Mom snapped as she whirled around to face me. "I didn't want you to know about the dragon life at all! It was a terrible life! I wanted you to grow up to be a human because I saw that the human life was much better than the dragon life!"

"Why? What's so bad about the dragon life?" I asked. "What is so bad about it? I know what it's like to fly because of Nightfall, and I've even shot a ball of fire, and you're telling me-"

"Y-You shot fire...?" Mom asked, cutting me off. "N-No. No! You can't!" She turned away from me, and I could hear her sobbing quietly. Dad was now coming down the stairs, and he looked worried.

"What's going on down here?" he asked. Mom ran over to him and wrapped her arms around him in a desprate hug.

"Sh-She knows," she sobbed into Dad's chest. "Sh-She knows, John. She kn-knows about the dragons a-and she knows I'm one and_"

"Cathy...Cathy, it's okay." Dad soothingly rubbed Mom's back before kissing the top of her head and murmured, "It was only a matter of time anyway..."

"I-I don't want them to find her," she cried. "Oh, God, why? They're gonna find her a-and kill her..."

I felt my heart drop. Was I really that much of a disgrace? Was it so wrong to be a hybrid? Tears started pricking my eyes as I brought a hand up to my mouth to stifle my already quiet sobs. Two strong arms enveloped me in a protective embrace, and I knew right away who it was holding me so close to them.

"It's okay, Adriane," Nightfall murmured to me. "Don't listen to them. They're wrong. They won't kill you..."

"Oh what do you know?!" Mom snapped, glaring over at him. "And why do you care so much?! It's not like your life is on the line."

"Mom, leave him alone!" I shouted back. "He just-"

"Actually...It is..."

The room fell into a dead silence. Mom and Dad both held surprised expressions, and Mom's face quickly fell to sadness and regret. "Y-You didn't..."

"I did...I imprinted on her." I already knew this, but just hearing it again made me feel surprised all over again. "I'm sorry, but as a dragon, you know it's out of my control. After all, you seemed to have done it as well." He motioned over to Dad. "How did your parents react? Were they mad? Happy? Were they-"

"They were happy because it meant I would be escaping the horrid dragon life!" Mom yelled. "But you're just going to drag her down back into that world!"

"She needs to know!" Nightfall exclaimed back. "Imagine if she were to have kids with a human spouse. Imagine the horrified look on her face when she sees that they can breathe fire, or even sprout wings and a tail! All because of those dragon genes that you passed down onto her and never bothered to tell her about!"

Now it was Dad's turn to yell. "Don't you dare blame this all on my wife!"

"Oh, right, part of this should go on you," Nightfall commented. "After all, you knew about it too, and you didn't bother to tell her either! It's both of your fault's!"

I couldn't take much more of this yelling. I knew I had to step in. "Nightfall...Please...Please just stop! Leave them alone! It's fine! They-"

Mom cut me off. "No...Adriane it's not fine..." Her sudden admittance caused me to look over at her with wide eyes. "H-He has a point...I-I should've told you before...But I was just so scared...I was afraid that they would find you sooner...I thought if I kept the secret long enough, then they'd never find you...But he has a point. If you ever had kids with a human, and they started having dragon traits, you'd probably be horrified..." She sniffled as she wiped her eyes. "I-I'm so sorry..." She walked over to me and pulled me into one of her tight hugs. "But...I'm afraid I can't teach you anything about being a dragon..."

"Wh-What? Why?" I pulled away from the hug. "W-We're the same dragon, right? Y-You should be able to teach me everything I need to know."

Mom sadly shook her head, and Nightfall jumped in. "Adriane, she's a downed dragon. She's lost the ability to ttransform, so she can't teach you to fly or how to control your fire breathing."

"H-How do you know that?" I asked.

"It's her scent," Nightfall explained. "Her dragon scent has greatly faded. If anything, she appears more human than dragon now."

"After I married your father, I stopped transforming," Mom explained. "I never saw the reason to be a dragon anymore, especially one so small, and if a dragon doesn't transform for a certain amount of time, they lose all their abilities."

"Wh-What kind of dragon are we anyway?" I had to ask. The question had been picking at me for awhile.

Mom chuckled softly. "A Terrible Terror. They're the smallest type of dragon around. Much smaller than your Night Fury friend."

"Nightfall," I supplied for her. "His name is Nightfall."

"Oh. Right. Nightfall. Seems like fitting name for a Night Fury." Mom gave him a small smile, and it quickly fell as she sighed and looking away then looking right back at him. "I'm trusting you to teach my daughter. I'm trusting you to keep her safe and teaching her all she needs to know."

"You have my word as a dragon," Nightfall said with a smile. "Despite being separate species, I'll try to teach her everything she needs to know."

"If there's as much as hair missing from her hair when she comes back, I'll-"

"Wait. What do you mean by 'when she comes back'?" Dad and I said together.

"She's not safe here," Nightfall explained, more to Dad than to me. "Two dragons had fought me earlier when they found out I imprinted on her, and I'm pretty sure they're on their way to tell Ryo, the head dragon, right now. If we stay, dragon officials will be in the town looking for her. It's better if I take her away for awhile to control her abilities then return her when she's mastered them. And that shouldn't be too long. I feel like she'll be a powerful little Terror." Nightfall smiled softly as he ruffled my hair, and I couldn't help but to chuckle lightly.

"This must be the second plan, huh?" I asked.

"Second plan?" Dad questioned. "There was a first plan?"

"Well...My original plan was to talk to Ryo and try to work things out, but that doesn't really seem like a good idea anymore," Nightfall explained. "She attacked with her dragon powers. They'll see her as dangerous and do whatever it takes to get her to Ryo."

"Ryo isn't one to listen to reason," Mom sighed. "But as long as she's with you, I'll know she'll be safe." Mom walked over to me and gently cupped my face in her hands. "I know you'll be safe with him. You train and become the strongest hybrid around, okay?"

I smiled softly with a small nod. "Okay. I will."

Mom smiled back at me and gently kissed my forehead.

"We'll just be a state over," Nightfall explained. "I won't take her too far from home, but it's far enough to where that the others won't find us."

"I swear if she's injured in anyway it'll be on you, boy," Dad warned.

"You don't have to worry about her getting hurt. She's in good hands," Mom said. "He'll protect her."

An awkward silence began settling in, so I broke it. "Welp...I better pack some clothes or something, huh?"

"Take your old drawstring back and pack it with as much as you can," Mom explained. "That should be easy to carry around than a suitcase or anything else."

"Right." I gave a small nod then headed up the stairs, going down the long hall and stepping into the room that I had slept in only a few times. I could my eyes start prickling with tears as I began gathering my clothes. I had no idea when I'd return, no idea if I could even master my abilities, but with Nightfall teaching me, I felt like it would be quick, and I could return home in no time. With my bag all packed, I walked down the stairs for the last time. Mom and Dad were waiting for me at the bottom, and they both gave me a loving hug.

"Be good," Mom whispered.

"And try to have fun," Dad murmured.

"I will. I'll see you guys soon." I pulled away from the hug and stepped out of the house. Nightfall was waiting for me, crouched down in his dragon form and waiting for me to hop onto his back.

I knew this was going to be the start of a new adventure, and I would have Nightfall to protect me through every step of the way.

* * *

**_HOLY SUPER HAPPY FUN TIME GUYS. WE DID IT._**

**_Now, I'm sorry if this seems rushed, but I also was writing this for a Creative Writing class, and it's due in like thirty minutes so I had to finish it, but I PROMISE the second story will be better and longer!_**

**_Please, R and R and keep sparkling on!_**


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